Maryland guard Pe’Shon Howard out for the season after tearing ACL

Maryland point guard Pe’Shon Howard is out for the rest of the season. (Mark Crammer/Associated Press)

According to Coach Mark Turgeon, who confirmed the injury shortly before the Terrapins departed for Durham, N.C., for their game against No. 10 Duke on Saturday, Howard will undergo surgery on his knee in the next weeks. The recovery could take six months.

Howard’s loss represents a major setback for the Terrapins (14-9, 4-5), who have scrapped and hustled all season long with a short-handed, largely inexperienced roster.

While Howard’s broken foot healed, Turgeon shifted point guard duties to freshman Nick Faust and then shooting guard Terrell Stoglin. Before boarding the team bus Friday, Turgeon said he was still in the process of absorbing the news of Howard’s injury, which was confirmed by an MRI exam late Friday, and figuring out how to adjust his lineup. But it’s likely that Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer, will start at point guard against Duke and Faust will shift to the No. 2 guard.

In 14 games for the Terrapins this season, Howard averaged 6.5 points, led the team with 52 assists (3.7 per game) and was its most active defender.

Liz Clarke is on her second stint covering the Washington Redskins for The Washington Post (1998-2001; 2014 onward). Before joining The Post in 1998, she was a sportswriter at USA Today, the Dallas Morning News and the Charlotte Observer. She started her career as a news reporter for the Raleigh News & Observer, covering higher education.